Mist Messages

One of the greatest rewards of working on this briefing each week is the personal notes, questions, observations, and yes, differences of perspective you’ve sent. Increasingly we live in a world that forces us to question what’s real. We must stay diligent in separating truth from fiction, misinformation, and propaganda. I read and respond to every one of your replies from what I see on the ground in Europe. So please, keep the discourse flowing.

Nevertheless, I was thinking about your feedback during my early walk around Leopoldskron Pond this morning. The mist was lifting, giving me (and my dog) a clearer view of the large Schloss on the far side. It served as a quiet metaphor: clarity often takes time. And patience. First-person accounts from different locations and perspectives help ensure we haven’t surrendered to the narrative someone else wants us to have.

Okay, enough of my soapbox.

Across the English Channel, a different sort of clarity is beginning to emerge. The EU media are reporting that Trump’s latest overtures to the UK have shaken assumptions in Brussels, where trade policy and personality politics are colliding once again. But this time, Europe’s response feels less reactive, more rehearsed. It’s not panic—it’s posture.

Today, we take a closer look at how the EU is responding to America’s improvisational, or (depending on the angle of the US media source) strategic, trade pivot. From quiet recalibrations to open debate about strategic autonomy, Brussels is preparing for a negotiation cycle defined more by tempo than treaty.

Rainer Maria Rilke once wrote, “The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens.”

The question now is whether Europe is truly preparing for what’s coming—or simply holding its breath until the mist lifts again.

Enjoy your weekend, friends.

Leigh Fatzinger, Editor
Salzburg, Austria / 16 May 2025